A pattern for life in God’s House
Can there be a God in a world of suffering? What Jesus said about ‌ ultimate things
Bible metaphors:
Living stones Minor prophets:
Zechariah
Issue 4 2015 1
Contents 3
From the Editors’ desk
Recognising and responding to the Messiah
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Living stones in God’s house
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Zechariah
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Christianity in the community
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Serving the community
10 The story of Christianity 12 Can there be a God in a world with suffering? The emotional challenge 13 Whose earth is it anyway? 14 What Jesus said about ultimate things 16 Kenya
NT
Needed Truth
Consistency in diversity This is the last issue of NT for 2015. Readers who have been following us throughout the year will have noticed that we have sought to have a consistent series of articles on different types of subjects – devotional, expository, apologetic, descriptive and historical. One instance is the series on ‘What Jesus said about...’, giving us guidance direct from our Master; others are lessons taken from the Minor Prophets and Bible metaphors. Practical things have appeared too, such as our attitude towards the poor and personal honesty. We draw particular attention to the last of a series of articles on the History of Christianity. The method of the series was to trace the way in which the original apostolic constitution of Christian churches was distorted by its association with the civil power, so that the popes of the Western Roman church wielded considerable political power. At the same time their practices had become institutionalized, so that they did not scruple to raise money by playing on the fears of a gullible public who had no knowledge of basic Christian teaching. Then the great men of the Reformation, such as Luther, Calvin and Zwingli saw that the institutionalized Church had departed far from the simplicity of its beginnings, and sought to roll it back to a firmer scriptural base. The article in this series in Issue 2 points out how difficult this was. Issue 3 took us on to the achievements of the Reformers, particularly in establishing the basal truth of justification by faith.
is published quarterly by the Churches of God in the Fellowship of the Son of God (www.ChurchesofGod.info) and may be obtained from Hayes Press @ sales@hayespress.org www.hayespress.org The Barn, Flaxlands, Royal Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire, SN4 8DY UK Hayes Press
This issue brings us to the establishment of Churches of God today, based, according to the honest endeavours of men of our time, on the apostolic pattern. We are suggesting that we have seen in Scripture something not generally recognized, but the series has sought to show that it is in the tradition of the recovery of apostolic truth, not simply the opinions of an eccentric sect. To use the expression attributed to Sir Isaac Newton, we can see further because we are ‘standing on the shoulders of giants’. We invite our readers to look back over the four copies of NT for 2015, and consider what you read in the spirit of the Jews in Beroea, who examined the Scriptures daily, to see if these things were so.1
Communications to the editors: @ editors@neededtruth.info c/o Robert Fisher, 258 West Main Street, Whitburn, West Lothian, EH47 0QW Scotland
Reference: 1. Acts 17:11
) +44 (0)1501 743811
Editorial production team: Robert Fisher, Peter Hickling, Geoff Hydon, Brian Johnston & Stephen McCabe Archived issues and new subscriptions available at www.neededtruth.info
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Peter
Recognising and responding to the Messiah Prasada Rao, Podagatlapalli, India “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”1 In this scripture we read of the recognition and response of the aged man Simeon to the Christ-child. He was given a special insight into who Jesus was and the significance of His birth. Perhaps the “… my eyes have primary purpose of this was for the benefit of Mary and seen your Joseph who needed divine reinforcement at this particular time in their pilgrimage as they faced the responsibility of salvation …” caring for, and rearing to maturity, the Christ of God. Simeon rejoiced in the birth of God’s Messiah both for Jew and Gentile. The expectation was that the Messiah’s The priest had access into the holy presence of God. In the Old Testament, priests offered sacrifices for their own ministry would be as a military leader or a bringer of sins first, then they offered sacrifices for the sins of the great prosperity. His ministry would certainly be varied. people. The writer of the Hebrews describes Jesus as Let us look at some of the Old Testament expectations being the Great High Priest of God who has entered into and the New Testament fulfilments. the holy presence of God Himself, not with the blood of 1. The Messiah was to be a prophet of God2 sacrificial animals, but with the sacrifice of His own 11 The Messiah was to be an authentic spokesman of God to blood, in order to obtain an eternal redemption for us. His people just as Moses had been. Prophets came with a The contemporaries of our Lord did not even begin to understand this aspect of His life and ministry until after word from God. They had the responsibility of speaking His death and the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of in the name of the Lord. A succession of these were sent Pentecost. The Son of God has met all the requirements of and many were demonstrably unfaithful. In contrast, the God. As man, Jesus meets all the requirements of His Lord would be faithful in conveying the message. He is 3 people’s needs on earth, but also leads them into God’s the Word, the final Word. At the transfiguration, the presence as they draw near through Him. voice of God instructed, “Listen to him.” Peter relied on 2 these verses to convince the Jews that Moses was 4. The Messiah was to be over God’s kingdom12 speaking of Christ4 and not heeding Him would lead to destruction. Stephen used this verse to show that Jesus is Many Bible references declare that the Messiah would be really God’s Son whom they should hear.5 When speaking king upon David’s throne. It was understandable that the to the Samaritan woman at the well of her expectation of people wanted a Messiah who would deliver them from a Messiah, the Lord Jesus affirmed, “I who speak to you the tyranny of their enemies. On one occasion the Jews am he.”6 How important for us to give the more earnest tried to make Jesus king. They wanted a political Messiah heed to the words spoken by the messianic Prophet of to assert nationalistic claims to the throne and establish God! the sovereignty of Israel among the nations of the world. Jesus repeatedly repudiated this claim of kingship. Jesus 2. The Messiah was to be a suffering servant7 came to establish firstly His kingdom in the hearts of men The ministry of the Messiah, as a suffering servant on and the rule of God as a present spiritual reality.13 behalf of a guilty race, was unrecognised and Following the resurrection Thomas declared Him to be unappreciated by His contemporaries. They could not “My Lord and my God!”14 The time is still to come when believe8 that the Messiah described in Isaiah 53 was one the Messiah will hand over the kingdom to His God and and the same as the Son of David who was to be king. Father, after destroying every rule and every authority Isaiah 53 tells of the wounded Saviour whose stripes heal and power. For he must reign.15 and upon whom our sins were placed. This was only appreciated after the Lord opened the Scriptures, and their References: understanding, after He rose from the dead. (“Was it not (1) Luke 2:29-32 (2) Deut. 18:15-19 (3) John 1:1,14 necessary that the Christ (Messiah) should suffer these (4) Acts 3:22 (5) Acts 7:37 (6) John 4:26 (7) Is. 53 things…?”9). (8) 1 Cor. 1:23 (9) Luke 24:26 (10) 1 Sam. 2:35 (11) Heb. 9:11-12 (12) Is. 9:6-7 (13) Acts 1:3,6,8 3. The Messiah was to be God’s priest10 (14) John 20:28 (15) 1 Cor. 15:24-25 The priest was one who ministered in the presence of God on behalf of the people that he might deal with their sin. Bible quotations from ESV 3
Bible metaphors
Living stones in God’s house Alex Reid, Leigh, England
‘And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house…’ 1 Christian believers as living stones The stones described above are not rocks or pebbles moulded by the elements, but cut or hewn stones formed by the skill of a craftsman. Described as living stones, they take their character from Christ, the living stone. Every believer is built by Christ into the universal Church (the Church which is His Body): … and upon this rock (Christ) I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”2 Note that the builder is Christ and the church He refers to is beyond harm – a point we shall return to shortly.
Understanding the metaphor In view of the above, many believers in Christ think Peter’s metaphor of living stones being built up a spiritual house describes the believer’s place in the Church the Body of Christ. But is this so? It is clear that Peter is basing his metaphor on the imagery of the Jewish temple sanctuary, and Paul in his letter to the believers in the Church of God in Corinth writes: Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.3 The believers in Corinth were a local expression of the temple or spiritual house that Peter refers to – a temple that is capable of being destroyed. Therefore, God’s temple or spiritual house cannot be synonymous with the Church the Body of Christ, which we have already established is beyond harm.
The stones are cut or hewn stones, formed by the skill of a craftsman. and spiritual house are not synonymous terms for the Church which is Christ’s Body.
In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul uses almost identical terms to describe the Ephesian saints as he has the Corinthians: … having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in Another description applied to the Church of God in being built together into a dwelling of Corinth is also worth noting. Paul says: … you are God’s whom you also are 5 God in the Spirit. Thus, another group of disciples in a field, God’s building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a Church of God is described using the terms building, temple and dwelling. This is again temple imagery of that foundation, and another is building on it. But each man 4 must be careful how he builds on it. The Church of God one great structure for the service of God, but made up of in Corinth is also described by Paul as God’s building and a collection of buildings. The implication is that the New Testament churches in aggregate formed the temple, he states that the laying of its foundation was his doing, spiritual house, or dwelling of God in the Spirit. Since the and that further construction of the Corinthian church – words ‘at Ephesus’ are omitted from three of the earliest God’s building – was the responsibility of men. As already seen above, and especially noting Matthew 3:11b New Testament manuscripts in Ephesians 1:1, it has been suggested that the Epistle to the Ephesians may in fact and 1 Corinthians 12:13, the building of the Church the have been a circular letter to several churches in the Body of Christ is the sole responsibility of the Lord, another reason to conclude that God’s building, temple, province of Asia. If this is so, it serves to underline the 4
this experience of being built into the spiritual house take place in the lives of believers in apostolic times?
point that the New Testament churches of God were linked and interdependent, and every local church was being fitted together with the others and was growing into a single holy temple in the Lord. If this idea of churches in aggregate forming one spiritual house is rejected, the alternative would be to label each church – Corinth, Ephesus, etc. – as a temple of God in its own right, inferring and that there were many temples of God or spiritual houses in apostolic times. However, the idea of many temples or dwellings of God existing at any one time is wholly foreign to Scripture – there was only one temple or house for the service of God in Jerusalem, which finds its answer in one spiritual house for God today.
We read in Acts 2:41, So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. To what were they added? They were added to the company of believers who formed the first church of God which was in Jerusalem. We also read of the same practice being carried out in the first Gentile Church of God in Antioch.8 In verse 42 of Acts 2, it is reported of these added believers: They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching… that is, they were continually coming to Christ, aligning themselves in obedience to His teaching which He had committed to His apostles.
Christ the cornerstone
The building of the house
Peter describes Christ as a living stone and draws on two Old Testament passages to support this. In relation to the spiritual house, Peter cites Isaiah 28:16, where Christ is described as … a choice stone, a precious corner stone … The corner stone was of great significance to the structure that was to be raised, and usually positioned near the foundation of the building.
Of fundamental importance to any building is the foundation on which it stands. The apostle Paul clearly identifies the foundation on which God’s building or house is constructed: For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.9 In Ephesians he states: ‘… having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus When Peter says: ‘And coming to Him as to a living stone Himself being the corner stone.10 Paul sees the Lord and … 6 the tense used is the Greek present continuous, His apostles together as constituting the foundation. This indicating a present continuous experience. This cannot is understandable as the ‘apostles’ teaching’ was the be coming to Christ for salvation – which is a once for all teaching of the Lord Himself, which He imparted to them experience – but a continuous coming in obedience to His during His public ministry, and in the forty days He spent word; this obedience is mentioned by Peter early in the with them between His resurrection and ascension.11 opening of his epistle.7 Any building of substance must be built to a plan or design, as in the past when the temple constructed by Solomon was built to a divine plan.12 It was no less so in New Testament times. The great church planter and master builder of the apostolic era was the Apostle Paul. To the Romans he wrote: you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed.13 The word for ‘form’ is the word for a mould. Paul also said: … just as I teach everywhere in every church.14 His teaching was the same in every church he planted, as if he were turning them out of the same mould.
‘… a choice stone, a precious corner stone …’
All the churches of God having an identical basis are fitted together to form one house or ‘dwelling of God in the Spirit.15 The Greek word for ‘dwelling’ in this scripture is the word for a ‘down dwelling’, that is, a dwelling here on earth. Thus, churches of God constituting God’s spiritual house, in the pattern of the New Testament, fulfilled the Lord’s desire to have a visible testimony here on earth.
(1 Pet. 2:6)
References: (1) 1 Pet. 2:4-5 (2) Mat. 16:18 (3) 1 Cor. 3:16-17 (4) 1 Cor. 3:9-10 (5) Eph. 2:20-22 (6) 1 Pet. 2:4 (7) 1 Pet. 1:2 (8) Acts 11:24 ESV So Peter describes believers as living stones continuously (9) 1 Cor. 3:11 (10) Eph. 2:20 (11) Acts 1:1-3 (12) 1 coming to Christ, and aligning themselves to His teaching Chron. 28:11,19 (13) Rom. 6:17 (14) 1 Cor. 4:17 and that of His apostles (as being the original building (15) Eph. 2:22 plan). This obedient alignment renders a living stone Bible quotations from NASB unless otherwise stated. suitable for building into the spiritual house. When did
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Lessons from the minor prophets
Zechariah The coming king David Viles, Hayes. England
“Who despises the day of small things?”1 God cannot forget the covenant bond – ‘They shall be My people and I will be their God’ – nor the imperative to uphold the honour of His holy Name.5 It is as if, after centuries of disobedience and 70 years of exile, God can no longer bear the estrangement of His people – “I am very jealous for Zion; I am burning (ardent) with jealousy for her.”6 Central to Zechariah’s message for God’s people is the fact that a new era is dawning.7 On their part, in response to God’s restoring grace, His people are to cultivate fruits worthy of repentance, pursuing justice, mercy, compassion, truth and peace, and avoiding that which God hates.8
For the most quoted prophet in the New Testament, we know very little more about Zechariah than his name. Elsewhere, this name always appears coupled with that of his contemporary, Haggai – they prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them.2 They spoke at a particularly low time in the history of God’s chosen people, reduced to a rump of chastened returnees from Babylon in 538 BC with, nevertheless, big ideas for rebuilding the temple of the Lord. Eighteen long years later, local and official opposition had taken its toll; ‘small things’ had been accomplished – the temple foundations were finished – but optimism had been replaced by demoralisation and the pressure of competing priorities.
Jerusalem – a home fit for a king
But the immediate issue does not define the limits of Into this unpromising context God sent His two prophets Zechariah’s message. Looming beyond to encourage the remnant in their endeavours is the glorious vision of to uplift and inspire. While Haggai gave practical Jerusalem as the millennial centre of the earth. Preceded encouragement for governor Zerubbabel and high priest by the apocalyptic events of ‘the Day of the Lord’ related Joshua, with tempting glimpses of what that temple will in chapters 9 to 14, Jerusalem will become the focus of all be in a future day, Zechariah soars in a series of vivid, nations seeking the Lord as prophets had promised years poetic visions and revelations across the length and breadth of the earth’s geography and history, past, present before. A day will come when ‘ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish and future. The immediate issue, completion of the man, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that rebuilding of the temple, will be accomplished – that is God is with you.”’9 This must have astounded the the unalterable purpose of the sovereign Lord: ‘…“I am struggling temple builders of Zechariah’s day. How many returning to Jerusalem with mercy; My house shall be built in it.”’ 3 Zechariah draws attention repeatedly to the of them would have recalled the solemn words of Psalm 2 divine choice of Jerusalem as the place of God’s Name;4 – “Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion. ‘… Ask
Zechariah draws attention repeatedly to the divine choice of Jerusalem as the place of God’s Name.
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in chapters 52 and 53, to couple the thought of the kingly Branch with the concept of the Servant of God and to emphasise again that this King will be both ruler and priest on His throne – so that “the counsel of peace shall be between them both.”16 The second familiar image is that of the Shepherd of Israel and the contrast He offers with the false and worthless shepherds who care only to exploit the flock for their own gain. Like Ezekiel before him, Zechariah describes in excoriating terms the fate of those ‘shepherds’17 and presents aspects of the Good Shepherd who will bring back His flock “as though I had not cast them aside.”18 Although the context here is primarily millennial, there are heart-warming insights into our kingly Shepherd which shine out like of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your gems. We are told, half a millennium before it happens, inheritance.’”?10 The new era is to set the stage for the that this Shepherd will indeed be betrayed for 30 pieces of glorious appearing of God’s King. Leapfrogging the silver, the price of a slave, which will be thrown for the millennia, Zechariah challenges little Jerusalem with the potter;19 and we are riveted by the statement “Awake, O vision of ultimate peace and concord centred on a city sword, against My Shepherd, against the Man who is My which has become so extensive that it will burst its walls Companion,” says the LORD of hosts. This kingly as the nations flock to worship; and, because the Lord Shepherd stands alongside God and yet it pleased the ‘will be the glory in her midst’,11 the acme of contentment LORD to bruise Him …20 for His people will at last prevail with everyone inviting There is one other incident in the passion week of the ‘his neighbour under his vine and under his fig tree.’11 King which is presaged uniquely by Zechariah; it is one This King will unite the offices of governor and priest, for of the few incidents from His life which is referred to by so long separated in the purposes of God. Through vivid all four Gospel writers, Matthew and John directly and direct messages and visions, God encourages referring back to the prophet.21 The coming of Messiah governor Zerubbabel to complete the rebuilding of the riding on a donkey was plainly a scripture well-known to temple and high priest Joshua to own the holiness of his expectant Jerusalem at the time, and the qualities role;12 but in one poetic and mysterious vision Zechariah highlighted in this King – of justice, having salvation and presents two anointed ones who together stand beside the lowliness – were as attractive then as they are to the Lord of the whole earth, jointly supplying the oil to keep Christian today. Shouts of joy are to accompany His alight the lampstand of divine testimony. The immediate arrival because, “I am coming and I will dwell in your purpose is to give encouragement to both individuals as midst … many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that they together play out their separate roles. However, day”, yet on that day His ancient people “will look on Me beyond that we can discern the One who is for us both whom they pierced.”22 Once again, the millennia conflate King of kings and great High Priest and who supplies to and merge in Zechariah’s visions as he tells of the King each of us the Spirit and through the Spirit the basis of who “shall speak peace to the nations” and whose our corporate testimony as He moves in the midst of the “dominion shall be from sea to sea.”23 golden lampstands.13
The servant King References:
While Zechariah was inspired with visions of a future lying far beyond him in the King’s millennial reign, he was also privileged to discern aspects of the King which, though future to him, are now treasures for us from the life of the Lord. It is notable that many of the references to Zechariah’s words in the New Testament are used to point to, or amplify, events in the final passion week of the Lord’s life. As well as the Lord high and lifted up in glory, he foresees the Christ who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death.14
(1) Zech. 4:10 NIV (2) Ezra 5:1 (3) Zech. 1:16 (4) Zech. 1:17; 2:12; 3:2 (5) Zech. 8:8; cf. Deut. 7:6-8; Ezek. 36:22-23 (6) Zech. 8:2 NIV (7) Zech. 8:11 (8) Zech. 7:8-10; 8:16-17 (9) Zech. 8:23. Cf. Isa. 2:2-4; Mic. 4:1-5 (10) Psa. 2:6-8 (11) Zech. 2:4-5; 14:10-11,16-21; 2:5; 3:10 (12) Zech. 4:6-10; 3:4-7 (13) Gal. 3:5; Rev. 1:12-20 (14) Isa. 6:1; Heb. 2:9 (15) Zech. 3:8; Jer. 23:5; 33:15-16 (16) Zech. 6:12-13 (17) Zech. 10:2-3; 11:15-17; cf. Ezek. 34:1-10 (18) Zech. 10:3-8 (19) Zech. 11:12-13. The Hebrew word for ‘potter’ sounds like that for ‘treasury’. In Mat. 27:3-9 the Spirit takes and uses both words. (20) Zech. 13:7; Isa. 53:10 (21) Zech. 9:9; Mat. 21:4-5; John.12:14-15; (22) Zech. 2:10-11; 12:10 (23) Zech. 9:10
Two images in particular, well known from earlier prophets, are taken up and developed in Zechariah’s writings. ‘Behold, I am bringing forth My Servant, the Branch’ – the same word is used by Jeremiah to describe the ‘shoot’ of King David, who will reign and judge with righteousness.15 Zechariah’s contribution is, like Isaiah’s
Bible quotations from the NKJV unless stated otherwise 7
Practical Christianity
Christianity in the community An interview with Anthony Nemi, Ojo, Nigeria lived. For them, Christianity was a matter of giving over their lives and their goods to bring the greatest good news to mankind by exhibiting the love of Christ. Then, as now, it was not possible to love God without loving one’s fellow man and putting this love into practice. The greatest commandment is to love God with great intensity and to love our neighbours as ourselves (Mat. 22:37-39).
From your African experience, what practical solutions have you seen operating which address this concern? Today, for example, in the country of Malawi – a country that has been rated as the fifth poorest country in the world – no true child of God can remain indifferent while hundreds of The life of Christ, as well as His thousands of its countrymen are illteachings, was a model of concern for fed, badly housed, illiterate and His fellow human beings. One without proper medical care. Pained example of His teachings includes by such sights, many Christ-minded Mat. 25:35-40 (NIV), “For I was Christians have turned to practical hungry and you gave me something to Christianity as a solution eat, I was thirsty and you gave me to the predicaments of something to drink, I was a stranger the people. and you invited me in, I needed It was this same burden clothes and you clothed me,’… “Then the righteous will answer him, that prompted three people from the ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry Churches of God in the and feed you, or thirsty and give you UK, tagged the ‘UK3’, to something to drink? … The King will visit Malawi in 2007. reply, ‘…whatever you did for one of The team was made up the least of these brothers and sisters of Karl and Joy Smith of mine, you did it for me.” (Karl was a university
Tony, how do you think we can best show our concern for the unsaved?
Though poor in material things, Christ and His disciples shared what they had with all around them, such as feeding multitudes with a few loaves and a few fishes, and healing the sick. For centuries afterwards, those who had the Spirit of Christ in them were noteworthy for the cooperative fellowship that characterized the community in which Jesus Christ
lecturer at the time and Joy a medical doctor) and Norma McCarty (a school teacher). They spent one whole year in Malawi in selfless service, researching possible areas of need of the people, with the view of finding possible
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solutions to addressing those needs.
It’s helpful to be reminded of this again. What specific things were the result of that visit, and have they proved sustainable? Before they left Malawi in 2008, various projects were established to address some of the identified areas of need. The projects included: 1. The Mobile Clinic Government medical facilities are far from some of the remote communities in Malawi and the Mobile Clinic was established to address this need. Currently, a weekly visit with the Mobile Clinic van is made to four remote locations where free medical care is offered to the people who could not travel to the Government medical facilities. The Project not only ministers to the health needs of the people but also presents a fifteenminute Gospel address in every Clinic Centre to tell the people about the love of Christ.
children have lost one or both parents to this disease. In Malawi, these children are cared for by extended families – aunties, uncles and grandparents. To help support those who are caring for these children, the Orphan Day Care Centre in Ndirande was established to address the problem. 3. Adult literacy classes Illiteracy among adults is a big problem in Malawi. It became apparent that many adults, particularly women, cannot read or write Chichewa, the national language. This means that they are unable to read the Bible for themselves. Adult literacy classes were established in some locations to address this problem.
2. The Orphan Day Care Centre
Thanks, Tony, would you care to sum it up with a final thought?
Ndirande is a very crowded, unplanned settlement in Blantyre, Malawi’s biggest city. There are many families in Ndirande who are affected by HIV/AIDS and many
It is said that kindness builds the bridge for the recipient to receive a touch of love from God. This is the essence of practical Christianity.
Serving the community Geralde Mag-usara, Davao, Philippines Of course, the ultimate model of serving the community is the Lord Jesus Christ. When He was on earth, He always did good,1 even to the undeserving.2 From material help given, Jesus often connected them into some spiritual reality.
helped them find a job through the internet. Many are computer illiterate and didn’t know they could find a job that way. Sometimes they were hired on the spot. They greatly appreciated that, especially when they got a job. And so a relationship began, and we were able to share something spiritual. One of them was a mother of three children. Her husband during that time had no work. And when we met each other, she asked us if we knew anyone who was hiring a housemaid. After praying together, we searched the internet. She got a job the next day! In her joy that God had given her a job, she brought her family to observe the breaking of the bread on the next Lord’s Day. By early 2012, they were baptized and added in the Church of God in Davao. More than a dozen came to be numbered in due course from this family alone. Until now they remain faithful in God’s house!
Can we do that? Definitely! In fact, like Him, Jesus encourages us to, “Let your light so shine before men”.3 Although we cannot turn water into wine, or feed thousands with five loaves and two fish, we can still follow His example of doing good for the benefit of others. A year ago, my wife and I conducted free basic reading and writing tutorials for children whose parents could not afford to send them to school. Some of them came from broken families. Every time we visited a parental home to teach their children, they saw God’s goodness being shown to them. They were so grateful seeing their children go from nothing to something. A good relationship started to grow. How uplifting the feeling when we heard a positive compliment from the parents! When this happened, we immediately connected them to something spiritual. We were able to witness to them about the Good News. And the climax of that was that they were able to see the radiance of God’s goodness.
This began with doing good to others. God’s promises in His Word are faithful indeed! Paul says, let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart.Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good unto all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.4 If we continue to do good to others, God will bless us indeed. So keep on shining!
Another example occurred in 2011 when we took note of jobless people in our community. Many of them were looking for work by walking around the city. They became frustrated and tired when, at the end of the day, they were not able to find a job that suited them. We
References: (1) Acts 10:38 (2) Luke 22:49-51 (3) Mat. 5:16 (4) Gal. 6:9-10 Bible quotations from NKJV 9
The story of Christianity
Evangelical revival and the Brethren movement of the 19th century Andrew Dorricott, Hamilton, Canada & Keith Dorricott, Toronto, Canada Following the Reformation, the established institution of ‘church’ was being challenged openly and often. The availability of Scripture paved the way for individual study and discovery. It ultimately led to some new ideas and some recovered understandings of what those Scriptures meant. The 19th century saw many religious denominations form, and subsequently grow, in the UK and USA; the Pentecostal charismatic movement (1825), the Mormons (1820s), the Christian Reformed Church (1857), the Seventh Day Adventists (1863), the Salvation Army (1865), and the Jehovah’s Witnesses (1872). Each of these groups were started on the basis of particular doctrinal differences that they felt weren’t being preached or adhered to, or to reflect introduction of what were assemblies and didn’t see the Scriptural principle of a promoted as new revelations. In an attempt to distance themselves from other denominations they became overly united oversight in a fellowship of assemblies. focused on what was different, arguably at the expense of The Bethesda question what was similar, or even right. Newton was known to sometimes teach things that The Brethren Movement differed from the others, such as Christ inheriting a Something else was taking shape in the 1820s – the potentially sinful nature in His humanity. Darby, after Brethren Movement. It was a group of Christian believers returning from an evangelistic mission in Europe, who were concerned with the Scriptural condition of the strongly criticized the teaching of Newton and walked out established churches. of the Plymouth assembly – with a large number of followers. In 1848, amidst the controversy with Newton, There were some men that stood out within this group, many of the Plymouth assembly moved to the Bethesda such as Anthony Norris Groves (Plymouth), Benjamin Wills Newton (Dublin), John Nelson Darby (Dublin) and Chapel in Bristol under the leadership of George Müller. George Müller (Bristol). They shared an appreciation for Müller was happy to welcome these believers as he recognized that they did not hold to the controversial the simplicity of the Remembrance (the breaking of the teachings of Newton. This angered Darby as he felt that bread), for evangelism, for good works and the imminence of the Lord’s return. George Müller is credited anyone associated with Plymouth, and thereby Newton, as having the greatest impact on the Brethren movement. should not be allowed to join in fellowship with any of the Brethren assemblies. This stance became known as It is claimed that Müller travelled over 200,000 miles during his lifetime to preach all over the world in English, ‘the Bethesda question’, and effectively led to the distinction between ‘exclusive’ Brethren (associated with French and German. Darby) and ‘open’ Brethren (associated with Müller). The The basis of the movement was around the late 1800s became a time of great Open Brethren Remembrance. Their out-of-context understanding of conferences and evangelism. Matthew 18:20 was that the Remembrance was for all believers to share in, regardless of church membership. They were trying to exhibit the unity of all believers in the Body of Christ, but were not extending it to other scriptural teaching such as the holy priesthood.1 In the absence of agreed upon doctrine there was a lack of unity between the assemblies as it was often influential men who took an informal lead in a given location. This was in part due to the reaction against the rigidity of the established churches at that time. When troubles arose, as they invariably did, there was no means to effectively handle them. They clung to the independencies of the
The Separation – uncovering the truth of the Churches of God While ‘the separation’ of the churches of God from the ‘open’ Brethren did not occur until 1892-1894, the seeds were being sown as early as 1876. A man in his thirties, Albert Boswell of Scotland, wrote a letter regarding the connection between assemblies to the Brethren publication Northern Witness, and then waited for an answer. None came. In the next issue he proposed an answer expounding, for perhaps the first time since the
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3) Those in a church of God are added to it,5 may be excommunicated from it6 (which does not affect their membership in ‘the Body’) and a church of God may cease to exist7 (something that could never be said of the Church which is Christ’s Body)
apostolic period, the truth of the churches of God – hinting towards the interdependence of local churches serving God together under a united oversight or elderhood, reflecting the framework of the New Testament (see the key seven points later in the article). In 1883 a young man of 22 named Frederick Banks wrote a booklet called “The Church and Churches of God – A Suggestive Outline of Truth”, which was later published by what is now known as Hayes Press. Banks saw it all very clearly in his mind, but never saw it with his eyes as he died at the age of 25. For several years these truths were taught, discussed, argued and written about. The intention was not to cause separation or unnecessary division, but rather to guide the Brethren assemblies into this new and important discovery from the Scriptures: namely, the fundamental difference between the Church the Body of Christ being the spiritual union of all believers and the Fellowship of local churches of God in which that unity was seen in practice, as the Lord had prayed for.2 As the conversation grew more contentious, the Witness magazine refused to publish any more articles on positional subjects. In response, a circular was sent to all known British Open Brethren assemblies in 1888 informing them of the intention to issue a new magazine. The intent was to publish long-lost New Testament truths regarding the house of God and the fellowship of local churches serving God together. They pleaded with their readers to give it serious thought and, in October 1888, Needed Truth magazine was born – the very same magazine in which you are reading this article. In July 1891 a conference was called in Windermere in North-West England to discuss and resolve the differing views at that time. However well-intentioned, this conference only emphasized how wide a spectrum of doctrine and practice there really was among the assemblies of the Brethren Movement. Because the leading men could not resolve the differences, and there was no organized or unified form of government to do it, there was no alternative but to separate from the ‘open’ Brethren. It was not an easy time as assemblies were divided, as were families.
4) The churches of God together constitute the fellowship of God’s Son.8 Their unity is based on adherence to the apostles’ teaching.9 5) The house of God today is spiritual, it is distinct from the Church the Body, it can be damaged and destroyed.10 6) Each church of God should be governed by a plurality of elders, linked in a united elderhood over all the churches.11 7) Local elders – or overseers – should obtain assistance from overseers in their district as needed. No one person should be allowed to predominate. Overseers and saints are to be subject to the general mind of overseers.12
Our response Just as with the early Reformers, we owe a great deal to the leading men of the Brethren movement and separation, and the men and women who followed them as they furthered the idea of ‘Sola Scriptura’ (by Scripture alone). All of them should be commended for their courage and devotion to the Lord and His authoritative Word. But, as the Reformers before them, biases set in. The natural reaction, of each group, was to distance themselves as much as possible from those that didn’t agree with their particular beliefs. Let us learn from both the good they did and their mistakes.
100 years from now, if the Lord hasn’t returned, will someone write an article on the Fellowship revival of the 21st century? Will your name be among those referenced as a profoundly dedicated believer who subjected all things to the Word of God? May it be so, but subjection to the Word of God also means a deep love, care and compassion for believers and unbelievers alike. If we form our ideas and understanding on the authority of Scripture, then we must also be open to correction from it, As the new churches of God formed, a conference of overseers was called in 1893 to recognize them. From this and must share it with others in love and grace – all to God’s glory. With discovery comes knowledge. With conference came the launch of a new information knowledge comes responsibility. magazine called ‘Intelligence’. By 1894 there was a mutually known fellowship of about 100 assemblies Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have including Melbourne, Australia and Johannesburg, South heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Africa. The teaching spread and more churches of God Jesus.13 were recognized in places such as New Zealand (1906), References: Canada (1902), USA (1906) and West Africa (1921). The separation of the churches of God can be summarized (1) Heb. 10:19-25 (2) John 17:20-21 (3) 1 Cor. 12:12-13 in 7 key positional statements: (4) example - Acts 8:1 (5) Acts 2:41 (6) 1 Cor. 5:13 1) All believers form the Church which is the Body of (7) Rev. 2:5 (8) 1 Cor. 1:9 (9) Eph. 4:13; Acts 2:42 (10) Heb. 3:6; 1 Cor. 3:16-17 (11) Acts 14:23; 20:17 Christ.3 (12) Acts 15:1-29 (13) 2 Tim. 1:13 2) ‘The church of God’ describes a local assembly in a Bible quotations from NKJV town into which saints are gathered.4 11
Can there be a God in a world of suffering?
The emotional challenge Brian Johnston, Leigh, England The Times’ leader column, the day after the horrific massacre at an infant school in Dunblane, Scotland (on 13 March 1996), said: ‘Christ was born among innocent slaughter and died on the Cross to pay the cost of our terrible freedom – a freedom by which we can do the greatest good or the greatest evil.’ Early in human history, using our God-given free will, we blundered, the Bible says … and just like the captain of the Exxon Valdez whom we considered in the previous instalment, we transformed this world into its present mess.1 But this issue is as much an emotional one as it is an intellectual, philosophical and indeed theological one. In his book, ‘The View from a Hearse’, Joe Bayly tells the story of two men who came to comfort him after the death of his three sons. The first came with answers. He said that God had a plan, that God could work it out for good, and that God would give Joe strength. The second man simply came to sit with Joe. He didn’t speak unless spoken to, but he prayed with Joe and sat in silence alongside him. Joe writes that though both men had good intentions, he couldn’t wait for the first man to leave and he couldn’t bear to see the second man go. The Bible does have things to say about pain and suffering. But ultimately, the God of the Bible is more like the man who gave his presence than the man who gave his answers. The Bible leaves many of our specific questions about suffering unanswered. But what it does do, is tell us the story of a God who’s drawn close in our suffering – and actually suffered for us – and who will one day abolish suffering forever for those who love Him. I’m reminded of a Church of Scotland minister who was being interviewed by a BBC News reporter on 21 December, 1988, after Pan Am Flight 103 had exploded in the sky over the Scottish town of Lockerbie. The fires were still burning when the reporter turned on the minister and asked, “Where is your God now?” To which the unforgettably calm reply was: “God has joined us in suffering – in the person of His Son, He came as a man, Jesus Christ, and joined us in suffering.” He did that when, 2,000 years ago, He paid the price of our freewill and spiritual rebellion on a Roman cross outside the city of Jerusalem in the turbulent Middle East. There’s pain at the heart of the Christian message of hope – and it’s the pain of God. In all suffering, a question mark remains (for we don’t presume to have all the answers); but at the very core of the Christian message, there’s not only human pain – the cross of Christ is the mark of divine suffering.
John Stott, after examining other world views, turned from them, and wrote: ‘… in imagination I have turned instead to that lonely, twisted, tortured figure on the cross, nails through hands and feet, back lacerated, limbs wrenched, brow bleeding from thorn-pricks, mouth dry and intolerably thirsty, plunged in God-forsaken darkness. That’s the God for me! He laid aside his immunity to pain. He entered our world of flesh and blood, tears and death. He suffered for us. Our sufferings become more manageable in the light of his’.2 And the poet Edward Shillito said, while looking out on the devastation of war: ‘To our wounds only God's wounds can speak’. Another man who looked out over ruins brought about by war was German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, former mayor of Cologne, imprisoned by Hitler for opposing the Nazi regime, and later chancellor of the West German Federal Republic. Adenauer truly deserves the title of ‘statesman’, as he picked up the broken pieces of his country and helped to rebuild it in a fractured world. On one occasion, over against the backdrop of a landscape ravaged by war, he looked evangelist Billy Graham in the eye and said, “Mr. Graham, do you believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead?” Graham, somewhat surprised by his question answered, “Of course I do.” Replied Chancellor Adenauer, “Mr. Graham, outside of the resurrection of Jesus, I do not know of any other hope for this world.” Why? Because the resurrection of Christ, for the believer on Him, guarantees that, for all His followers, there’ll ultimately be a pain-free future when an all-loving and all-powerful God – who crucially did intervene 2,000 years ago – will finally wipe away all tears from our eyes.3 Until then, the God who’s there draws silently close in love, and invites us to put all our trust in Him. References: (1) Rom. 5:12; 8:20-22 (2) J.R.Stott, The Cross of Christ (3) Rev. 21:4
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Whose earth is it anyway? Martin Jones, Toronto, Canada The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it.1 Vladimir Putin might well beg to differ. Russia recently filed a claim to a large slab of the Arctic that they assert is part of their sovereign territory, based on under-sea geology. Stephen Harper, the Canadian prime minister, has visibly increased his naval presence there. No one believes the manoeuvring is anything but a grab for potentially massive oil reserves; up to now, nobody seems to have considered managing them collectively and distributing the proceeds for the global good! Donald Trump in the US and Nigel Farage in the UK have raised sovereignty in issues of immigration. Ironically, in the UK, the normally free trade, deregulating right-wingers are up in arms about free movement across the EU, whereas the typically protectionist left-wingers seem more tolerant. But as this is not a political magazine, we must think about a disciple’s reaction to thousands of immigrants potentially arriving on his or her doorstep, allegedly eating into stretched resources and often bringing their own (different) culture with them – whether they do so legally or illegally.
Here we see God setting out principles and practices of love, charity and equality as well as the rights and responsibilities of all. Why the difference? These ‘foreigners’ were willing to number themselves with God’s people and to abide by God’s laws – in a modern context this would be assimilation, not multi-culturalism. But assimilating or not, Jesus raised the bar for Christians much higher still, for we must love foreigners who throw themselves on our mercy if we are to love those who style themselves as our enemies.10
Panic-inducing headlines and statistics can obscure what are often very real human and humanitarian issues. Global inequality and instability can mean that a filthy, ramshackle refugee camp outside Calais seems preferable to a life in, say, Eritrea or Libya, or dozens of other countries. We can also subconsciously buy into the thinking that being citizens of a certain country (a happy accident of birth, as the world sees it) entitles us to almost all of the world’s wealth and then acquire a defensive mindset that doesn’t want to see those resources eroded, even to a point where gross inequality still exists. But we are only stewards of what we have – and, the greater the resources, the greater the responsibility.
Leaving aside its dispensational context, there is further food for thought in His parable of the sheep and the goats. The king is asked, “When did we see you… a stranger… and did not help you?” He said, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”11 The Greek word translated as ‘stranger’ here is ‘xenos’, which can also mean ‘foreigner’ or ‘outsider’, and is the root of our English word xenophobia. Once an infant immigrant Himself in Egypt, and then an outsider from unfashionable Nazareth to the Jerusalem elite, here Jesus is identifying with the foreigners and outsiders so strongly that welcoming them is welcoming the Lord Himself!
Was immigration a reality in Bible times? Absolutely! Some Old Testament references to non-Israelites seem very antagonistic. The word ‘foreigner’ crops up regularly in our English translations, associated with lies and deceit,2 pillaging,3 ruthlessness4 and desecration.5 No foreigner was ever permitted to enter God’s sanctuary.6 But there was a very different side to the coin:
As individuals, we might feel powerless to solve global issues of mass migration, poverty and inequality. But there could well be new immigrants in your town, feeling that they are outsiders and needing help. Has God brought them to you for a purpose? Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus…12
“The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt.”7 “When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you shall give it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied.”8
References: (1) Ps. 24:1 (2) Ps. 144:11 (3) Is. 1:7 (4) Ezek. 28:7 (5) Ezek. 44:7 (6) Ezek. 44:9 (7) Lev. 19:34 (8) Deut. 26:12 (9) Lev. 24:22 (10) Luke 6:35-36 (11) Mat. 25:44, 43, 40 (12) Phil. 2:3-5
“You are to have the same law for the foreigner and the native-born”.9
Bible quotations from NIV. 13
What Jesus said about …
Ultimate things Richard Hutchinson, Vancouver, Canada Jesus was a preacher of the Gospel. Perhaps most people think of Him foremost as a teacher or a miracle-worker, the Messiah and Saviour, but when John the Baptist sent his disciples to ask Jesus if He was the one they had been waiting for or if they should look for another, Jesus replied: “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them.” 1
Jesus speaks of the Son of Man coming in glory and sitting upon His throne in judgement. To those among the nations at that time who find favour He says, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world”,13 a wonderful, gracious invite into a paradise we cannot fully appreciate yet, except that we know it has been prepared by one whose character is the very definition of love.
To those others who were not prepared to honour the King in their earthly lives, however, Jesus lays down a Preaching good news was a defining exercise of His office as Messiah and the message was enduringly simple: terrifying proclamation: ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”2 God’s angels’.14 The one who proclaimed the good news of the heavenly kingdom was imminent and it would change kingdom while on earth now delivers the chilling, final everything, so people had better get ready to change too doom for those who rejected His mastery of their lives. (as He taught His disciples to pray, ‘Your kingdom come, There are some who question the doctrine of ‘hell’ and your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven’3). eternal punishment, who wish to explain it away because For Jews of that period, like Joseph of Arimathea,4 their they prefer to believe in a God who will redeem even the kingdom expectations must surely have been largely, if unrepentant because of the wealth of His grace, but Jesus not entirely, shaped by the end-time vision granted to speaks about hell more than anyone else in Scripture. We Daniel5 in which he saw a son of man receiving an have the prophecy related above but also, in almost every indestructible kingdom from the Ancient of Days. They place where we read about the kingdom of heaven and its longed for a future time when the kingdom would be joys, the Lord is careful to warn about the fate of those restored to Israel.6 who do not enter it. He sometimes refers to the fiery furnace15 or the unquenchable fire;16 in other places He For the three synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and speaks of the outer darkness17 where there will be Luke), so much of what Jesus has to say about heaven and weeping and gnashing of teeth. The word Jesus uses most hell is seen through the prism of the coming kingdom.7 often when we read ‘hell’ in our Bibles is ‘Gehenna’, His teaching was “the word of the kingdom”,8 “the which is a valley close by Jerusalem. It was the seat of secrets of the kingdom”,9 and He was proclaiming the worship to Moloch during the darker times of Israel’s gospel of the kingdom.10 He tells His followers and the history, when they were condemned by God’s prophets crowds gathering around Him parable after parable for giving their children to the flames.18 The locals (Matthew records twelve of them) that begin, “The listening to Jesus knew that it was a fearful place, kingdom of heaven is like …”, or “The kingdom of associated in their minds with atrocity and the burning of heaven can be compared to …”; in each case the Lord is flesh and blood. highlighting what the nature of the kingdom is, how The judgement of God upon the unrighteous is written things are going to work there, what matters and doesn’t throughout the teachings of Jesus. It’s an inescapable matter in relation to the kingdom, and who gets to be a truth that He testifies to repeatedly, and because of that part of it. truth He calls the people to repent. The kingdom of heaven is not simply a joy they wouldn’t want to miss out Consistently, Jesus highlights the joy of taking one’s on – not being within the radiance of the glory of the place in the kingdom – as privileged servants entering 11 into ‘the joy of your master’, or as guests feasting with a King would leave them divorced from all joy, all light, all peace – for eternity. It is an either/or situation with no wealthy lord. He speaks of the rewards given to the third way, no opt-out clause. “The very demand of diligent and faithful, and the preciousness of the truth of repentance, as previous to it, showed it was a spiritual the kingdom to the one who finds it, to the degree that kingdom, and that no wicked man, how politic, brave, or they will give up all other joys to obtain it. Yet the Lord 19 Jesus makes no bones about the fact that some will not be learned soever, could possibly be a subject of it.” fit for the kingdom – this is a spiritual kingdom and the As we’ve seen, in the synoptics, ultimate issues are poor in spirit, those who suffered for righteousness’ sake frequently phrased in terms of kingdom language (Mat. would belong to it,12 not the proud or the wicked. 19:23-25 being another clear example). As we now 14
Jesus defined eternal life like this: “that they might know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”25 When we struggle to conceive in our finite minds of the wonders of an eternal life in an eternal home in heaven, perhaps the simplest way for us to get close to it is to consider the joy of what we know of the Lord Jesus and the Father now, as much as we have been able to grasp, and then imagine that knowledge unhindered by our sinful minds, by our easily distracted attention spans. The experience we have of eternal life here and now is to the degree in which we know and have a relationship with God through Jesus, but as the hymn-writer said: ‘When I see Thee as Thou art, Love Thee with unsinning heart; Then, Lord, shall I fully know, Not till then, how much I owe.’26 We will know Him then as we cannot now, and in the fullness of that appreciation we will experience not just delight in His beauty, not just appreciation for our salvation, but we will understand, to depths only an imperishable mind can reach, the full awe-inspiring scope of the God whom we worship and His grace and love – the tools with which He has fashioned all eternity, for our joy and His. “I go to prepare a place for you,” said the Lord Jesus, and “if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again to take you to myself so that where I am there you may be also.”27 Jesus prayed, “those who will believe in me through their (His disciples’) word… Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.”28
continue to track Jesus’ teaching on the same end-time and ultimate realities in John’s Gospel, we observe a change in terminology. In John’s Gospel we hear much less about the kingdom when ultimate things are addressed, but there we read how often Jesus spoke of ‘eternal life’, making it clear that He had come to deliver it to those who would believe in Him,20 to those who received His words as being from the Father.21 This was a life centred upon eternal things, not the things of this world; a life that grasped the eternal reality underlying this physical creation. For those who believe and then suffer death, His promise is that “everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”22
That is heaven – that is the hope laid up for us. When we consider that joy, may it be so real to us that we feel burdened to share it with those who are still standing under the wrath and judgement of God. Jesus Christ made it possible for us to live eternal lives in His eternal kingdom – shall we leave our friends and family in danger of the outer darkness, the unquenchable fire?
However, receiving this eternal life is set in contrast to a more profound form of death: the ‘perishing’ – a total loss or destruction – in the famous John 3:16 scripture. Elsewhere too, Jesus contrasts the eternal life that can be found through Him, with death, judgement and the wrath of God. The one who obtains eternal life has passed from death into life and shall not come into judgement23 but “whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God remains on him.”24
“Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”29 References: (1) Luke 7:22 (2) Mat. 4:17 (3) Mat. 6:10 (4) Luke 23:51 (5) Dan. 7:13-14 (6) Acts 1:6 (7) e.g. Mark 9:47 (8) Mat. 13:19 (9) Mat. 13:11 (10) Mat. 4:23 (11) Mat. 25:21 (12) Mat. 5:3,10 (13) Mat. 25:34 (14) Mat. 25:41 (15) e.g. Mat. 13:42 (16) Mat. 3:12 (17) e.g. Mat. 22:13 (18) Jer. 32:35 ‘valley of the son of Hinnom’ = Gehenna (19) John Wesley (20) John 3:1516 (21) John 5:24 (22) John 6:40 (23) John 5:24 (24) John 3:36 (25) John 17:3 (26) RM McCheyne, PHSS 453 (27) John 14:2-3 (28) John 17:20-24 (29) John 12:25
The eternal life Jesus offers is not an optional enhancement of our earthly lives, an upgrade for those with discipline to achieve it – rather it is salvation from the judgement that must fall upon a creation corrupted by sin. Eternal life in Christ is the only escape available from the righteous divine wrath our sinfulness has stoked up against us.
Bible quotations from ESV 15
Mission
Kenya Mark Imoukhuede, Nigeria The second mission visit to the Kenya work has produced considerable increase for which we are thankful to the Lord. The first mission was for the period 1995-98, but as a result of challenges encountered with the contacts, that first mission was terminated. Then three years ago, Godwin Okwena and I made a report of the second mission to Kenya – which Anthony Nemi and I are now continuing to follow up. (The contacts being followed up are sent to us from time to time by the Churches of God website team and Mailing Centre). With expanding work, the need for additional personnel was obvious and the Continental Council of Overseers (CCO) in Africa gave approval to have Gbenga Fagbenle and Lawrence Onyokoko join the team. Their presence enabled us to cover Kenya from 20 April to 10 June 2015 which otherwise would not have been possible. More able, available men are still required to support the work. More than eighty percent of the people we are presently working with are not able to understand the English language. That comes with its challenges, but we are thankful to the Lord that there have been good interpreters among the locals. As we spend longer periods with the friends, we are able to familiarise ourselves with some of their vocabulary. Bibles in their local Luo, Ekegusi, Kikuyu and Swahili languages have proved very helpful. Most are not able to purchase one due to poverty. As it was very important for the friends to adopt the ‘Berean’ spirit (Acts 17:11) after we left them, we invested in a distribution of Bibles. Some of the friends are not able to distinguish between Old and New Testament teachings. A fair number
of them dropped by the way (compare John 6:60-66), but we can say that there has been an appreciable progress in understanding by many of them. During these three years we have been in contact with over 40 individuals representing different groups indicating interest in the teachings of the Churches of God. Through the Lord’s help we were able to focus on about 15 groups during 2012-15. When this 2015 further follow-up visit commenced, we had eight groups namely: Orogare, Kenyenya, Machengo, Getono, Mogonga, Ndhiwa, Kisumu and Chuka. We spent more time with those who showed more progress and by the time we left Kenya only four have qualified for further visits as we prayerfully follow up to see which ones will eventually be planted as assemblies in Kenya in due course. These are: 1. Kenyenya Group (consisting of 14 who have been interviewed, three of whom are yet to be baptized). 2. Chuka Group (comprised of 11 who were interviewed – of whom six were already baptized and then five being baptized by ourselves).
Silas Owino’s family, Kisumu The most glaring feature of the work is the reality of the Lord’s words: “the harvest is plentiful but the labourers are few” (Mat. 9:37). Then there’s the need for adequate funding. Our area of coverage is very expansive. There is a need for a local gospel worker to give support to the work bridging the gap while we are out of the country. The labours of Silas Owino of the Kisumu group in reaching out to many has yielded much fruit for that group. We could see the hand of the Lord at work with us on this trip. Everywhere we visited, a good number of people responded to the call to salvation. One of our new contacts, Thomas Obondi wrote:
‘I want to thank you for the teachings that we got … Together 3. Kisumu Group (composed of 11 with my family members we learned about the way of salvation. who have been interviewed – of In reference to Saul in the book of whom 5 are baptized believers – with 5 pending baptism and one not Acts chapter 9, we learned how one clear as yet about her salvation). We begins a new journey; the way Saul did … We learned that when one wish to report that six out of the receives salvation, one has two eleven baptized at the end of 2014 births … So we are about two days have withdrawn as a result of our teaching on marriage. The other five old in Jesus Christ.’ are continuing with us. We give God the glory. If the challenges mentioned above are 4. Orogare Group (consisting of adequately addressed through five who were interviewed – of prayer, we can see churches of God whom four are baptized believers planted in Kenya in the not too and one who is to be seen again as he was unsure of his salvation). distant future. Our God is able! 16